Gliederung

Objective

Innovative pocedures, like the spinal cord stimulatin (scs), offer a non-destructive and reversible possibility for the treatment of chronic pain. SCS is a mininmal invasive interference, which is suitable for patients, who didn`t reach an adequate pain relief through all the therapies against the pain. It has the best results on patients with neurogen pain, after an injury of peripher nerves, with stump pain, post-zoster-neuralgy, post-radiation polyneuropathy, with chronic cervical and lumbosacral radikulopathy, with CRPS type 1 and 2, with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) peripheral ischemic pain and angina pectoris.

Methods

From August 1996 to December 2000 altogether we have provided 102 patients with SCS-systems of the firms Medtronic and ANS. These are 55 women and 47 men. In 88 cases (86%) the pain appears or resists after operations (FBSS - failed back surgery syndrome). On an average of 3,1 years there were 96 of the patients observed. 80 of these 96 patients (83,3%) have reported on good and very good pain relief of more than 50% and of reduction of consume of Analgesics, 12 patients (12,5%) have reported on pain relief, but they are still dependent on further pain therapies or operations. 5 patients (5,2%) had no relief - in spite of the good response at the beginning. 3 patients (3,1%) had the system explantated because of dissatisfaction and in two other cases the system had to be explantated because of an infection.

Immigration of the electrodes was seen with 5 patients (5,2%); in these cases a correction was necessary. Secondary haemorrhage, liquor fistulas or meningitis was seen in 0%. 12 patients were examined with computer tomographies of the electrode region. The results showed no signs of deformations or scares.

Conclusions

The spinal cord stimulation is an effective alternative for the treatment of therapyresistent chronic pain, compared with roperations and destructive treatments. It is a non-destructive, reversible method, and it is cost effective.